Archive

OUSA cuts down on coke and hookers in light of VSM. Lucky Sevens to go bust?

Posted 3:17am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

The OUSA Executive has put the 2012 budget to notice, ahead of a referendum timed to coincide with the OUSA Elections, in which students will vote on whether to pass the budget. Following the successful third reading of the VSM Bill in Parliament last week, the budget reflects the possible Read more...

Student Art Exhibition a success

Posted 3:13am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Staff Reporter

The OUSA Student Art Exhibition and Sale is being hailed as a great success, after luminaries like OUSA President Logan Edgar were among the purchasers of student art. The People’s Choice awards, sponsored by the University Book Shop and Art Zone, were decided after the event had run Read more...

BMW-driving meth head threatens students with bat after unrelated driver toots lightly at his terrible parking. Critic short on snappy titles this week.

Posted 3:12am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Staff Reporter

Two University of Otago students had the fright of their lives last Tuesday, when a man chased them in his car before following them into a driveway and menacing them with a baseball bat. The incident started when the suspect was trying to park his ‘reasonably nice BMW’ on a Read more...

Critic wins big.

Posted 3:10am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Staff Reporter

Critic took home the largest number of awards at this year’s Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA) awards, held in Wellington on September 24, gaining five first place awards, and narrowly missing out on the major award for ‘Best Publication’. The awards ceremony, which honours the best Read more...

Presidential candidates debate the numbers. Yes they were maths-debating.

Posted 3:08am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Julia Hollingsworth

The OUSA election trail kicked off last week, with a lacklustre attendance at the Presidential debate, and a number of nominations that is laughably low, even by Otago’s usual poor standard. This year there are only two candidates for the role of OUSA president: newcomer Dan Benson-Guiu, and Read more...

VSM passage inspires postmodern Cubist poetry

Posted 2:58am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Gregor Whyte

VSM here to stay, Students no longer need to pay, ACT on Campus very gay, Dinosaur-cunt shouts hooray? The Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill, colloquially known as the VSM bill, finally passed its third reading in Parliament last Wednesday September 28, ushering in Read more...

0.00175% of students get fired up. Government unmoved.

Posted 2:55am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Gregor Whyte

A very small crowd of student protestors gathered on the Union Lawn at noon on Monday September 26, as part of a co-coordinated national day of protest against VSM. Otago protestors, backed by OUSA and OPSA, were also protesting against future fee increases, and the cutting of courses and staff at Read more...

Because Men are Worth it.

Posted 5:17am Monday 19th September 2011 by Basti Menkes

A University of Otago Marketing Department study shows that use of cosmetic grooming products has become widely accepted by young New Zealand males. Senior Lecturer Dr Lisa McNeill and L’Oreal scholarship honours student Katie Douglas recently recruited a group of 18 to 22 year-old males to take Read more...

OUSA Elections

Posted 5:16am Monday 19th September 2011 by Lozz Holding

Nominations for the 2012 OUSA elections for all positions open on Monday September 19 and close on Friday September 23. All nominees must be nominated and seconded by fellow students, and present their IDs. Following this, the presidential forum will take place on Wednesday September 28 Read more...

Weatherston’s final appeal dismissed

Posted 5:13am Monday 19th September 2011 by Teuila Fuatai

Last week the Supreme Court dismissed Clayton Weatherston's application for a final appeal. Weatherston is currently serving a life sentence with a minimum non-parole period of 18 years for the murder of University of Otago student Sophie Elliot. Since his initial conviction, Weatherston has Read more...

Crayons for Cambodia

Posted 5:10am Monday 19th September 2011 by Staff Reporter

Two University of Otago finalists are travelling to Cambodia this summer to volunteer with orphans and underprivileged children. The two law students are currently fundraising for their trip, which aims to provide Cambodian children with desperately needed school supplies and uniforms. Read more...

Proctology - 24

Posted 5:08am Monday 19th September 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

Critic is starting to suspect the Proctor has mistaken us for Dr Dolittle, as we’re kicking off this week with yet another animal story – this time involving the exciting chase of a loose rabbit. At least it wasn’t a loose pussy; nobody would be interested in chasing that. Campus Watch were Read more...

Execrable - 24

Posted 5:05am Monday 19th September 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

The Exec meeting was short on numbers last week, and struggled mightily to make quorum. This problem was compounded when it was revealed that Ariana was on call for duty at Selwyn, so if some type of crazy situation went down at that particular College then the meeting was all off. Upon Read more...

Pig killed in North Dunedin. South Dunedinites mourn loss of relative.

Posted 5:03am Monday 19th September 2011 by Lozz Holding

A group of unassuming scarfies were the victims of an unfortunate piece of malicious littering on Sunday September 11, after they discovered a deceased pig in their wheelie bin in the early hours of the morning. The group had enjoyed a pleasant night out in town after watching the England vs Read more...

Marketing is the new Tourism

Posted 5:00am Monday 19th September 2011 by Staff Reporter

A rogue student caused widespread panic in a second year marketing paper after sending an email on Blackboard to every student in the paper asking if they could join a group for an assignment that hadn’t even been set yet. The first email, sent on September 8, set off waves of panic Read more...

NORML fails to make Joyce's list

Posted 4:58am Monday 19th September 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

Student leaders are alarmed at the Government's latest attempt to cripple students' association, as Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce released draft directions on Student Services Levies last week.   Joyce has composed a list that dictates what services institutions can spend Read more...

NORML fails to make Joyce's list

Posted 4:54am Monday 19th September 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

Student leaders are alarmed at the Government's latest attempt to cripple students' association, as Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce released draft directions on Student Services Levies last week. Joyce has composed a list that dictates what services institutions can spend student Read more...

Mayor proud of his big black cock

Posted 4:48am Monday 19th September 2011 by Lozz Holding

Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull is “pretty proud” to have a gigantic black phallic object protruding from the Octagon. The ‘artwork’ piece titled ‘The Haka Peep Show’ is a large black pou (post or pillar) that contains 3D videos featuring four haka performed by prominent Maori Read more...

Campus dry. Scarfies cry.

Posted 4:46am Monday 19th September 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

The University of Otago is imposing a campus-wide alcohol ban for the Rugby World Cup, and it looks likely to continue once the tournament ends. At a meeting last week, the University Council unanimously adopted Vice-Chancellor Harlene Hayne’s recommendation that an “Alcohol on Read more...

Undy 500 violence spreads to the capital

Posted 4:42am Monday 19th September 2011 by Gregor Whyte

Victoria University of Wellington was the scene of significant unrest last Wednesday September 14, as students carrying out a peaceful protest against cuts to academic departments clashed with University security services. Students marched on the University’s Hunter Building to Read more...

Hone Harawira

Posted 3:27am Monday 12th September 2011 by Critic

Hone Harawira is all about triple constructions. Vini, vidi, vici; I came, I saw, I conquered, and so on. One suspects, however, he has taken his cue just as much from his mother, Muhammed Ali and Syd Jackson as from Julius Caesar. When Harawira got on the stage in front of the audience for Read more...

Polytech member slams student butts

Posted 3:22am Monday 12th September 2011 by Gregor Whyte

An Otago Polytechnic lecturer has slammed students for littering cigarette butts on the streets outside the institution, saying that inconsiderate smokers "make it look like a British council estate".   Speaking to the ODT, design department staff member Simon Swale despaired of Read more...

Joyce up to his usual tricks.

Posted 3:19am Monday 12th September 2011 by Stella Blake-Kelly

Students may be left without essential student services under a proposal from Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce. The objective of the proposal is to establish a framework for how compulsory fees and student services are administered by universities. This framework aims to create Read more...

Rugby fans invade Dunedin. Everybody glad the Germans don’t play the game.

Posted 3:18am Monday 12th September 2011 by Lozz Holding

Rugby World Cup fever is set to hit North Dunedin over the coming weeks, as the city plays host to several teams, including Argentina, Georgia, Romania, Ireland and Italy.     The highly ranked English team also appear to be spending some of their time/money in Dunedin, Read more...

ODT: playing pokies not solid idea for student summer job

Posted 3:14am Monday 12th September 2011 by Lozz Holding

The Otago Daily Times ran another groundbreaking article last week, revealing to the world at large that gambling on the pokies is not a great way to make money. The article focused on ‘Tony’, former University of Otago BCom student, who lost “thousands” playing the pokies while a student. Read more...

Vote Chat: Annette King

Posted 3:12am Monday 12th September 2011 by Joe Stockman

Politics lecturer Bryce Edwards continues his weekly chats with New Zealand politicians each Friday at Noon. Last week, Labour Party deputy leader Annette King talked to Edwards about her political past, atheism, and the threat from the big bad National Party and their cheesy-grinned leader. Read more...

Execrable - 23

Posted 3:10am Monday 12th September 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

Critic suspected we were in for a long meeting when we looked around the boardroom and saw three of OUSA’s constitutional gurus in attendance. Depressingly we weren’t wrong. The three musketeers had all come along to talk to the Exec about the broke-as-fuck Constitution, and the amendments Read more...

Cronicles of Castle - 23

Posted 3:08am Monday 12th September 2011 by Sam Reynolds

Not much has been happening in the ‘hood, most people cruised home for the break or headed to Wanaka and Queenstown to ‘carve up the fresh’, leaving me with some looney fence tagging and the odd story to share with you. Addiction has become a prevalent problem up and down the street; Read more...

Robber run ragged by rapacious redhead

Posted 3:06am Monday 12th September 2011 by Teuila Fuatai

Two University of Otago students managed to chase down a burglar whilst dressed in their slippers, after the man tried to take three iPods from their Dundas St flat. The ODT reported that students Kathryn Kennedy and Emily Reynolds became aware of the intruder after hearing loud noises Read more...

VSM, HAPPENING FO’ REAL

Posted 3:05am Monday 12th September 2011 by Staff Reporter

The Voluntary Student Membership bill, or VSM as it’s colloquially known, completed the Committee of the House stage through Parliament last Wednesday September 7. No amendments to the Bill were accepted, including amendments by Labour MPs to add more clauses to the Bill. In a last Read more...

Bouncing off the Halls - 23

Posted 3:03am Monday 12th September 2011 by Lozz Holding

 Sex is a fascinating topic. According to everyone’s old mate Darwin, sex is the sole purpose of our existence, and nowhere is this truer than the colleges of the University of Otago. At Otago the usual courting process involves twenty alcoholic drinks followed by a vast array of Read more...

Dominos Without Plan For Road Closures.

Posted 5:20am Monday 5th September 2011 by Lozz Holding

Stoners Panic. Not content with making blatantly untrue statements like “RWC 2011 is the third largest sporting event in the world”, the Dunedin City Council (DCC) have also decided that scarfies having access to their hovels during the Rugby World Cup is of little importance, and Read more...

Rich Students Go Play in Expensive Snow

Posted 5:17am Monday 5th September 2011 by Lozz Holding

Poor Students freeze in Dunedin Hovels   Over 100 University of Otago snow-bunnies flocked to the slopes of Wanaka last week to take part in the 2011 University Winter Games.  The week-long event provided the brightly-coloured boarders and skiers with an opportunity to get their Read more...

Calvert Turns to Bridget Jones's Diary and Tub of Ice Cream

Posted 5:15am Monday 5th September 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

Local ACT Party MP Hilary Calvert has been dumped from the party list for November’s election, less than a year after entering Parliament.  Calvert is notably absent from the list of candidates released by the party. There are conflicting accounts surrounding the reasons for Read more...

National MP Grows a Heart

Posted 5:14am Monday 5th September 2011 by Julia Hollingsworth

Blossoming romance with Green Party to follow A local National Party MP has spoken out against lignite mining, a stance that controversially runs against the National party line.  At a Generation Zero panel discussion held before mid-semester break, National MP Michael Woodhouse was Read more...

Woman's skull not crushed in perfectly safe Dunedin shopping mall.

Posted 5:11am Monday 5th September 2011 by Gregor Whyte

  A woman was not even slightly injured after not being hit by falling fibre dust at popular Dunedin shopping mall The Meridian, despite receiving what a witness described as a “negligible sized piece of plastic on her table”. Critic’s journalistic panties were Read more...

Tidy Boxes Better than Messy Boxes

Posted 4:29am Monday 5th September 2011 by Gregor Whyte

  The one-week trial of the ‘Free Box’, pioneered by OUSA Communications and Colleges Representative Francisco Hernandez, was judged an overwhelming success by OUSA Communications and Colleges Representative Francisco Hernandez. Hernandez told Critic that the box was Read more...

Execrable - 21

Posted 11:47pm Monday 22nd August 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

The meeting highlight for Critic this week was the discussion surrounding Francisco’s plan for a “Free Box.” Currently the only free box to be had on campus is generally found in the Monkey Bar after a UniCol college pissup, but Francisco means to change this with his new endeavour. His Read more...

Harlene’s first day at school

Posted 11:45pm Monday 22nd August 2011 by Staff Reporter

Professor Harlene Hayne took over the Vice-Chancellor position last Monday, after a two week period during which the University had no official Vice-Chancellor. The first female Vice Chancellor in the University’s 142-year history, Hayne replaces Sir Professor David Skegg, who spent Read more...

Revolutionary Idea: Free Shit

Posted 11:44pm Monday 22nd August 2011 by Gregor Whyte

OUSA is running a one-week trial of a new ‘Freebox’ service this week. Students drop off items they no longer need outside the OUSA Main Office, and other students will then be able to grab themselves useful stuff for free. The initiative is the brainchild of OUSA Colleges and Communications Read more...

Vote Chat: The Incredibly Dry Mr Parker

Posted 11:42pm Monday 22nd August 2011 by Joe Stockman

Leading into the November election, politics lecturer Bryce Edwards is hosting New Zealand politicians each Friday at Noon. Last Friday, Labour’s number four, David Parker, took on Politics postgrads, Ashley Murchison and Josh Hercus, in a PowerPoint battle royale over NZ’s debt, taking on Don Read more...

Proctology - 21

Posted 11:40pm Monday 22nd August 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

The snow hadn’t been causing the Proctor too much trouble when Critic spoke to him, and he had even been deploying Campus Watch in a truck to drive people home safely. Critic immediately formed a completely inaccurate mental image of a pickup truck doing burnouts through the snow with bogan Castle Read more...

Fuck rugby, this is what the real Scarfies are excited about.

Posted 4:51am Monday 15th August 2011 by Lozz Holding

Now that the first shit rugby game is out of the way, Critic has started salivating about this year’s big event at the Forsyth Barr Stadium: the Elton John concert. This concert will showcase the stadium’s potential as a year-round venue, Dunedin’s new addition being the country’s only fully covered Read more...

PM visit prevents some Tourism students from sleeping till midday. Bastard.

Posted 4:50am Monday 15th August 2011 by Lozz Holding

Hungover student ghetto residents were robbed of any chance of a midday lie-in on Friday August 5, as chanting protestors collected outside the newly refurbished Robertson Library to express their opposition to the VSM bill. The protest was organised in less than 48 hours by OUSA, and high Read more...

Execrable - 20

Posted 4:48am Monday 15th August 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

This week’s Exec meeting consisted mostly of the Exec doing really boring shit while Critic sat huddled in the corner, trying to work out at what point life had gone so badly wrong that we were forced to report on these idiots in order to be able to buy food. Pretty standard meeting then. In Read more...

Hardcore journalism: Critic runs over drunk reporter to prove ODT right.

Posted 4:47am Monday 15th August 2011 by Staff Reporter

The Otago Daily Times has written an impassioned piece decrying the dangers of students jaywalking across Cumberland St. The article, published in the ODT last Monday, extensively covered a complaint by a (presumably elderly) member of the public that students crossing Cumberland St while the Read more...

Bouncing off the Halls - 20

Posted 4:45am Monday 15th August 2011 by Lozz Holding

A pleasant and arousing facet of the first year hall scene is the well-established rivalry between certain colleges. Everyone with a cerebellum still intact is aware of the notable ongoing hatred between the stuck-up Selwynites and the possibly deviant Knoxians. Then there are the less established Read more...

Vote Chat: Tree-Loving Ms Turei

Posted 4:42am Monday 15th August 2011 by Joe Stockman

Leading into the November election, politics lecturer Bryce Edwards is hosting New Zealand politicians each Friday at Noon. Last Friday Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei took on politics students Niki Lomax and Finn O’Dwyer-Cunliffe to discuss getting kids out of poverty, getting adults their Read more...

Selwyn and Knox lads get down and dirty together. Hot.

Posted 4:40am Monday 15th August 2011 by Joe Stockman

The new Forsyth Barr Stadium opened on Friday August 5 with a dawn ceremony led by Ngai Tahu and attended by Prime Minister John Key. Following a delicious breakfast of muffins and cheese rolls, Selwyn and Knox Colleges took to the field for the stadium’s inaugural rugby game. Battling for the Read more...

Act on Campus vs Edgar Part 2

Posted 4:23am Monday 15th August 2011 by Showdown at the Storm-in-a-Teapot Corral

As reported in last week’s Critic, OUSA President Logan Edgar has landed himself in hot water over derogatory comments on the Facebook page of ACT MP Sir Roger Douglas. ACT on Campus called for Edgar’s resignation over the incident, a proposition that received piss-poor support in a highly Read more...

Chronicles of Castle - 20

Posted 4:20am Monday 15th August 2011 by Sam Reynolds

It’s not all happy families on Castle Street. And surprisingly the bad moods are not because of the Kronic ban, the dramas are being caused by a problem that is normally most troublesome in first year. Like drugs, flats for next year are being sussed on the low key. With dodgy dealing going down Read more...

GROWING SOME WEED IN DA BUSH. LOL. WEED.

Posted 4:18am Monday 15th August 2011 by Staff Reporter

Students for Environmental Action (SEA), the 2009 OUSA Society of the Year, have managed to wrangle a piece of land from the University to create Otago University’s first community garden, inspired by the community garden at the University of Canterbury. The garden will be behind the Albany Street Read more...

GUNS AND EXPLOSIONS = NO DENTISTS

Posted 4:06am Monday 15th August 2011 by Basti Menkes

Otago dental students have created a 100% not-for-profit charity that seeks to improve the crumbling healthcare system in war-torn Iraq. The charity is called Iraqi Children's Aid and Repair Endeavour (ICARE), and is the first of its kind operating in New Zealand. There are an estimated 5 Read more...

Dr John McEwan

Posted 5:07am Thursday 11th August 2011 by Georgie Fenwicke

The population of sheep in New Zealand currently sits at around 43.1 million. They double the number of cows and yet have a better environmental reputation. What springs to mind when you hear natterings of a fart tax? Yes, Dairy farms. Sheep, on the other hand, are a bit overlooked by the general Read more...

VSM struggling through prolonged Labour

Posted 4:58am Thursday 11th August 2011 by Gregor Whyte

The Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill failed to pass the committee of the whole stage in Parliament last Wednesday, as Labour party MPs used delaying tactics to prevent the bill from reaching its third reading. Debate on the bill continued until Parliament ended its session at Read more...

Auckland University has enough airpoints to buy 747.

Posted 4:57am Thursday 11th August 2011 by Gregor Whyte

Otago just a Cessna. Students have slammed Auckland University after it was revealed the university spent $24 million on travel for academic and general staff in the last financial year. That figure dwarfs the spending of any other tertiary institution in New Zealand, with Massey University Read more...

Slutwalk hits town

Posted 4:56am Thursday 11th August 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

Not UniCol daytrip for once. The international protest movement Slutwalk is coming to Dunedin, with the event scheduled to take place next Saturday.   The original Slutwalk protests were sparked by the comments of a Canadian police officer at a safety talk in Toronto, who stated Read more...

SJS to close

Posted 4:54am Thursday 11th August 2011 by Teuila Fuatai

Student labourers sought to help with clearout. Apply online. Last week Student Job Search confirmed that its local on-campus branches will close in September. A new centralised system will provide services for the recruitment agency from a national call-centre in Wellington.   SJS Read more...

Proctology -19

Posted 4:52am Thursday 11th August 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

Critic hadn’t had a rendezvous with the Proctor since before the holidays, so we were expecting a good haul of stories when we strolled into his mighty chambers of justice. Disappointingly, Re-O Week seems to have been a relatively tame affair, with no stories of note from our favourite Read more...

Execrable - 19

Posted 4:50am Thursday 11th August 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

Secretary Donna Jones was notably absent from last week’s meeting, and her absence was not for the better. Stand-in AJ didn’t display Donna’s skill at wrangling the monkeys/exec members, and this was reflected in the tedious length of the meeting. First up, the never ending “what to do Read more...

If it’s not the altar boys or the sacramental wine, then its invariably AUT’s bank account

Posted 4:49am Thursday 11th August 2011 by Lozz Holding

A 53 year-old priest and former gay lover of ex-Labour MP Tim Barnett has been arrested for allegedly misappropriating over $500,000 from AUT University. Jonathan Kirkpatrick, a former Dean of Dunedin’s St Paul’s Cathedral, has resigned as chief executive of the University's Read more...

Amnesty not observed

Posted 4:46am Thursday 11th August 2011 by Staff Reporter

The University Link and the lawn area outside the library were the scenes of violent re-enactments by Amnesty International to raise awareness about the silencing of political activists last Wednesday August 3. Students dressed entirely in black marched through the Link, much to the surprise Read more...

Vote Chat: The Power Hungry Mr Woodhouse

Posted 4:44am Thursday 11th August 2011 by Joe Stockman

Leading into the November election, politics lecturer Bryce Edwards is interviewing New Zealand politicians each Friday at noon. Last Friday, National backbencher and North Dunedin electorate candidate Michael Woodhouse took the stage and talked about being the fifth of nine children, his take on Read more...

Radio One Saved

Posted 4:41am Thursday 11th August 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

OUSA cast their sickle aside After a month long submission process that garnered much media attention, the OUSA Executive has decided to reject the Deloitte review recommendation to sell Radio One.   OUSA Administrative Vice President Brad Russell told Critic that the Read more...

New Divisional Postgrad Reps

Posted 4:38am Thursday 11th August 2011 by Basti Menkes

In the wake of a recent OUSA Postgraduate Committee meeting, eight new Divisional Representatives for the rest of the year have been confirmed. These are: Simon Hoermann, Sarah Forbes, Anna Lindstrom, Aniruddha Chatterjee, Maria Pozza, Margi McMurdo-Reading, Adam Beissel and Sourav Paul. The Read more...

Nineties American Airline runs Ice Hockey game

Posted 4:37am Thursday 11th August 2011 by Lozz Holding

The Douglas Webber group brought three International Ice Hockey games to New Zealand, showcasing top players from the USA and Canada in Auckland and Christchurch before finishing off at the Dunedin Ice Stadium last Wednesday night. The teams were competing for the NZ Exhibition Cup, with the Read more...

Nothing Personal

Posted 11:28pm Monday 8th August 2011 by Georgie Fenwicke

Iranian Embassy Siege, London. Northern Ireland Troubles. American bombing, Tripoli. Tiananmen Square. Gulf War, Kuwait. Genocide in Rwanda. Siege of Sarajevo. This is a woman who has witnessed and covered some of the most significant moments in recent history. She has been shot three times, for Read more...

Fact: students not all that disease ridden

Posted 5:31am Monday 8th August 2011 by Gregor Whyte with reporting by Lozz Holding

Despite being irresponsible, binge-drinking slops who rarely attend class and mostly just waste the government’s money at the rate of $170 a week, Dunedin students are apparently not riddled with venereal disease. Following the election of new OUSA President Logan Edgar, many have been Read more...

Only 12 students found frozen dead in their hovels after minor snow flurry; authorities pleased

Posted 5:29am Monday 8th August 2011 by Lozz Holding

Dunedin suffered its heaviest snowfall in fifteen years, bringing widespread chaos and disruption to the city, but also delivering a couple of days welcome entertainment to the student population that didn’t have to study for UMAT. During the early hours of Sunday July 24, snow began to fall Read more...

Students jizz themselves as rockstar student politicians hit Dunedin

Posted 5:27am Monday 8th August 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

NZUSA Co-Presidents David Do and Max Hardy visited Dunedin last week as part of a nationwide tour of member campuses in order to engage with constituent students. Throngs of female students had to be held back by security after Do and Hardy hit the Dunedin campus, such was the sexual allure of the Read more...

Because the only thing people like more than drinking is studying

Posted 5:26am Monday 8th August 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

The University of Otago has released plans to redevelop former student pub Gardies into a “study and social centre.” Last year the University paid $1.75 million to buy the Gardens Tavern and transform the former drinking den into a new facility called the Marsh Study Centre, named after Graeme Read more...

New Zealander of the Year

Posted 5:24am Monday 8th August 2011 by Staff Reporter

A New Zealand man who witnessed the horrific Oslo bombing has become an internet sensation after giving an interview that literally defies belief for its vacuous stupidity. Cameron Leslie, predictably a University of Waikato graduate, is a sales rep for Thomson Reuters in Norway and was attending Read more...

No More Mass Exodus

Posted 5:23am Monday 8th August 2011 by Teuila Fuatai

Due to negative media attention, the Canterbury Engineering Students Association has cancelled its Great Quake Escape event. The event had been planned as a celebration to thank students who had helped out after the series of earthquakes that devastated Christchurch. Speaking to the Otago Read more...

Bouncing off the Halls - 18

Posted 5:19am Monday 8th August 2011 by Lozz Holding

UMAT. Four letters that strike fear deep into the bosom of the deluded freshers that still actually think they’ll be getting into Med School on the back of that B+ average from first semester. Forget the clap, the can-man or crowbar-wielding, fat South Dunedin swamp-donkeys on P. The most Read more...

Vote Chat: Politicians talk Politics

Posted 5:17am Monday 8th August 2011 by Joe Stockman

Each Friday at noon, politics lecturer Bryce Edwards is interviewing politicians in an ongoing series called “Political Chat”. Last week, Labour's North Dunedin candidate and electoral shoe in David Clark stepped up to the plate and talked about existential philosophy, social justice, and running in Read more...

Students unite for non-shitty future

Posted 5:15am Monday 8th August 2011 by Julia Hollingsworth

New nationwide youth-led lobby group Generation Zero held a public lecture last Wednesday to encourage students to do something about climate change. Held at the St David’s lecture theatre, the venue was almost packed to its 550-person capacity. The lecture was entitled “Cheer up Read more...

Execrable - 18

Posted 5:12am Monday 8th August 2011 by Daniel Benson- Guiu

Upon entry, Critic received weird stares from the exec, perhaps in part because we arrived a whopping five minutes early. Not wanting the exec to think we were too keen, Critic stared at an empty chair for a while. Unfortunately, this didn’t put the exec off: they were all happy to see someone new Read more...

Cadbury

Posted 4:15am Thursday 28th July 2011 by Georgie Fenwicke

Guess what? It's chocolate time! That's right, the Cadbury Chocolate Carnival started on Saturday complete with chocolate house, sculptress extraordinaire Prudence Staite and cooking lessons with Judith Cullen. The event, which began in 2000, has grown from a three-day affair to seven days of fun Read more...

This Paper Possibly Propels Politico to Parliament

Posted 4:09am Thursday 28th July 2011 by Gregor Whyte

Former Critic Editor Holly Walker may earn a list seat in Parliament this year after the Green Party’s strong showing in a recent Colmar Brunton poll. Walker is twelfth on the party list, meaning she would squeak into Parliament if the Greens can replicate their poll showing of 10% at the Read more...

ACT Party a Little Cagey

Posted 4:07am Thursday 28th July 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

OUSA President Logan Edgar was assaulted by a member of ACT on Campus shortly before entering his prison cell, where he spent two days protesting against VSM. The altercation began when Edgar screwed up a protest sign that a female member of the ACT group was holding, tossing it in the Read more...

The VC is Dead, Long Live the VC

Posted 4:02am Thursday 28th July 2011 by Gregor Whyte

The University of Otago will see a changing of the guard this week, as departing Vice Chancellor Sir Professor David Skegg steps down from the role on the 31st July after almost eight years heading the University. Skegg has overseen an era of significant change in the culture and practices of the Read more...

Logan Locked up for VSM's Bad Behaviour

Posted 3:56am Thursday 28th July 2011 by Lozz Holding

Last week OUSA President Logan Edgar locked himself inside a cage for 42 hours between 7pm Monday and 1pm on Wednesday. The stunt was designed to protest the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill. The bill was introduced to Parliament by the ACT party and, if passed, could leave Read more...

OUSA not the only scandalous student organisation

Posted 3:51am Thursday 28th July 2011 by Staff Reporter (with reporting from Nexus Magazine).

Proving that exec members behaving scandalously isn’t a phenomenon exclusive to OUSA, the Waikato Students’ Union (WSU) has removed Vice President Maori Toko Baker with immediate effect after he seriously breached the values of the organization. Baker’s behaviour included alleged minor Read more...

Students not too concerned about SJS Office closure

Posted 3:49am Thursday 28th July 2011 by Teuila Fuatai

The possible closure of local SJS branches and their replacement with a centralised call centre in Wellington has been met with general unconcern among students spoken to by Critic. Whilst many students acknowledged using SJS to look for employment, both during the university year and over the Read more...

Crowd Divided on VSM, United Against Hilary

Posted 3:44am Thursday 28th July 2011 by Staff Reporter

Gareth Hughes (Green Party), David Clark (Labour), Michael Woodhouse (National) and Hilary Calvert (ACT Party) took part in a debate on VSM - among other issues - on Friday July 15 at the Gazebo Lounge. The politicians were given five minutes to introduce themselves at the beginning of the Read more...

Chronicles of Castle - 17

Posted 3:42am Thursday 28th July 2011 by Sam Reynolds

After a prolonged absence, Chronicles of Castle is back like the bowl cut. I do apologise for the delay but the author has been busy gathering stories during the chaos of Re-O Week. The chaos of last week has left most residents in a zombie like state, with malnutrition striking down flats and Read more...

Execrable - 17

Posted 11:53pm Monday 25th July 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

Critic’s first experience of an outdoor Exec meeting wasn’t quite the delightful nature encounter that we were hoping for. Instead, it was cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. Luckily, caged President Logan Edgar was on hand to provide the lols, not to mention the hot chocolate bribe Read more...

Jeffrey Harris

Posted 5:14am Monday 25th July 2011 by Georgie Fenwicke

Two doors down from a car mechanic and across the road from a photography studio, Jeffrey Harris works and paints. It is his compulsion. Not to paint in his words renders him ‘frustrated and angry and depressed and very twitchy. I have got to work.” In his industrial space, he welcomes me with a Read more...

Next stop the White House

Posted 5:11am Monday 25th July 2011 by Gregor Whyte

New OUSA President Logan Edgar has had a meteoric rise in politics. Only weeks ago Edgar was just another bum on a seat in BSNS104: Principles of Economics One. Now he finds himself in charge of a multi-million dollar organisation, and many are tipping him to go on to even greater things. Read more...

There goes the neighbourhood

Posted 5:09am Monday 25th July 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

A proposal has been issued to Student Job Search offices nationwide indicating that regional offices will be shut down in September, with a centralised call centre to be established in Wellington. As a result Otago would be left without any representation on campus, with the one staff Read more...

Re-O no Rio

Posted 5:05am Monday 25th July 2011 by Lozz Holding

Last week was Re-O Week, and although a number of events were cancelled due to both the weather and lack of attendance, the week was generally considered a success. OUSA organised a raft of events to keep the punters amused. Wednesday saw the President dressed up as the Mad Butcher giving away Read more...

Deloitte have more money than Latvia.

Posted 5:01am Monday 25th July 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

Radio One is still too expensive though. The Deloitte review’s recommendation to sell Radio One has sparked a “Save Radio One” campaign, which has gained a significant following throughout the proposal’s consultation period.   The review was undertaken to Read more...

Student politicians have conference.

Posted 4:59am Monday 25th July 2011 by Gregor Whyte

Nobody cares. Business as usual then. The New Zealand Union of Student’s Associations (NZUSA) recently held its July conference at Victoria University of Wellington, with the presidents of student’s associations from around the country meeting to attend talks and workshops, and Read more...

Execrable - 16

Posted 4:58am Monday 25th July 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

First meeting back and Critic dashed into the boardroom slightly late to discover the whole Exec had been instructed to “dress like gangstas,” while wearing “I Read more...

Sigh…

Posted 4:56am Monday 25th July 2011 by Gregor Whyte

A radical element within Critic Te Arohi, the feted University of Otago student magazine, has established a new company with the intention of buying out the popular student watering hole The Captain Cook Tavern. The new Critic subsidiary, Critical Capital Holdings, is the brainchild of Read more...

On the roof

Posted 4:54am Monday 25th July 2011 by Teuila Fuatai

A drunken student had to be removed from the roof of the Cadbury’s factory in Dunedin by the fire service, as students marked the traditional Re-O Week with festivities and a lot of drinking. During the incident last Tuesday, a University of Otago student was arrested for climbing onto the top Read more...

Bouncing off the Halls - 16

Posted 4:53am Monday 25th July 2011 by Lozz Holding

Older students often tend to blame many of the problems in life on freshers, and for good reason. Freshers are frequently guilty of ruining bars, pushing rent prices up by signing flat leases in April, and of giving you that insatiable itch around your pubic region after a SoGo fuelled dalliance Read more...

Hon Steven Joyce

Posted 12:06am Tuesday 12th July 2011 by Georgie Fenwicke

Steven Joyce likes a good cappuccino, but insists on nothing sprinkled on the top. Surely, that's more of a latte then? But no, apparently with a layer of espresso, milk and froth it distinguishes itself easily from the infamous beverage. Joyce, a name more synonymous with Guiness and Leprechauns, Read more...

Remember that token Scarfie candidate?

Posted 12:01am Tuesday 12th July 2011 by Lozz Holding

He won. By a lot. ‘Scarfie’ candidate Logan Edgar won a landslide victory in the OUSA Presidential by-election held just before exams last semester. The now President Edgar is 20-year old second year BCom student majoring in Marketing. He was born and raised in Te Anau, Read more...

Review recommends less staff

Posted 11:54pm Monday 11th July 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

In May 2011 OUSA engaged the services of Deloitte to complete a review of the current organisational structure. Along with the potential sale of Radio One (covered on page 11), the review has recommended the disestablishment of various staff roles within OUSA. No final decisions have yet been Read more...